God is Talking Am I Listening?

Is 48:17-19

Thus says the LORD, your redeemer,

the Holy One of Israel:

I, the LORD, your God,

teach you what is for your good,

and lead you on the way you should go.

If you would hearken to my commandments,

your prosperity would be like a river,

and your vindication like the waves of the sea;

Your descendants would be like the sand,

and those born of your stock like its grains,

Their name never cut off

or blotted out from my presence.

You know it's funny because when I read this I really have to laugh at myself. For the longest time I tried to give all I had to God when I was a child. Then as I grew into teenage years I found myself wanting to give less and less to God because I really liked some of my "stuff" or activities or parts of me that I didn't want to let go of. Thing is I came to learn that well, sometimes I didn't have to let go of things that I like, sometimes I just had to do them differently, and when I did have to give up something that I loved it was for my own good and I was happier on the other side.

Mt 11:16-19

Jesus said to the crowds:

"To what shall I compare this generation?

It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another,

'We played the flute for you, but you did not dance,

we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.'

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said,

'He is possessed by a demon.'

The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said,

'Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard,

a friend of tax collectors and sinners.'

But wisdom is vindicated by her works."

I read these lines and I think about again how in that past, and okay even now, how I try to cram God into my life my way. I don't always listen to what he is trying to say to me, or I try and take what he saying and warp it to fit my will to justify what I want to do. I need to be honest with myself and others. I need to listen to the words of God and let them soak in. If I don't get it, it's okay, I need to pray and spend some time with my Lord and take the time to listen to what he is trying to say. God is always listening to me, but I am not always listening to him. I need to look at and actually "see" what he is trying to do. I find when I do I have a guide post or a path to live this life to the fullest. It may not be the one I want or expect, but it will be fruitful and will lead me home to heaven and happiness for eternity.